Jan 2, 2011

READINGTON TWP. — John Paff asked what he thought was a simple question: how much money did police seize from the inside of a 2006 BMW? When township police wouldn’t say, Paff, who is chairman of the state Libertarian Party’s Open Government Advocacy Project, sued. Paff now has his answer: $61,649. But police released the information before the case could be heard in court. It had been scheduled for Jan. 18 . . .

Under the state Open Public Records Act and the common law right of access, Paff sought the amount seized. Police refused the request, and said “criminal investigatory records of information deemed to be confidential” are exempt from disclosure . . .